Buckley by Sam Tanenhaus Review 📘 National Review, Firing Line, and Conservative History

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📘 Welcome back to Spencer Reads Everything! Today’s deep dive covers one of the most talked-about political biographies of the year: Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Shaped America by Sam Tanenhaus. If you love history, politics, long form biographies, or learning how major cultural movements get built, this is a video you do not want to skip.

🔥 In this review, I break down everything you need to know about William F. Buckley Jr., from his privileged childhood to his rise as one of the most influential conservative voices in American history. I walk through his founding of National Review, the creation of Firing Line, his intellectual battles, his media strategy, and the political revolution he helped set in motion.

💬 Make sure to watch to the end for my personal reaction, my honest thoughts about the book’s strengths and weaknesses, and my guidance on who will benefit most from this enormous biography. If you’re thinking about reading this book, my review will save you time, help you decide, and give you the context you need.

🎯 What you’ll learn in this video:
• How William F. Buckley Jr. shaped modern conservatism
• Why National Review became the intellectual center of the right
• How Firing Line changed political television
• What made Buckley both magnetic and controversial
• How Sam Tanenhaus spent decades researching this book
• Whether this very long biography is worth your time
• Who I recommend this book to and who might want something else

👀 If you are interested in political history, media history, legendary biographies, or the story of modern conservatism, this review will be extremely valuable. My goal is to help you decide whether this 800-plus page book deserves a place on your shelf.

👇 Watch more from these playlists:
📘 Very Short Introduction Series ➡️    • A Very Short Introduction Series  

🎓 The Great Courses Reviews ➡️    • The Great Courses  

🎙 Welcome to Spencer Reads Everything, where we review books of every genre.

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0:00 Hook
0:25 Introduction
1:06 Sam Tanenhaus
2:05 Background on this Biography
3:33 William F. Buckley Jr. Brief Biography
5:40 Part I: Prodigy in the Making
7:34 Part II: At Odds with His Time
10:03 Part III: Buckley’s Revolution
12:48 Part IV: Controlling the Message
15:41 Part V: Last Campaigns
18:04 Argumentative Distinctions
20:57 Personal Reaction
22:19 Who is this for?
23:36 Who is this NOT for?
25:17 Final Thoughts